Change Management
A new system or process often fails not because of the technology, but because people never really change how they work. John Kotter's 8-Step Model is the most widely used framework for leading that kind of change. It starts with creating urgency and building a guiding coalition, then moves through forming and communicating a vision, empowering people to act on it, and generating short-term wins, before finally consolidating gains and anchoring the new way of working in the organisation's culture. The steps are meant to be followed in order. According to Kotter, skipping ahead, for example rolling out a new tool before there is enough urgency or support, is the most common reason change efforts fail. As an IT professional you rarely own the organisational change itself, but the systems you deliver are almost always part of one, so recognising these steps helps you understand why a rollout gets delayed or why stakeholders care so much about quick wins.
Starting Points
- Kotter Inc. – The 8-Step Process for Leading Change (the model's original source)
- Mind Tools – Kotter's 8-Step Change Model
Key Points
- You name and explain Kotter's 8 steps, in the correct order.
- You explain why Kotter's steps are sequential, and what typically goes wrong when a step is skipped.
- You identify, for a given change effort, which of Kotter's steps is missing or weak, and why that matters.
- You explain the role of short-term wins and a guiding coalition in sustaining momentum for change.